EN-content

Content in the English language

Postcards from Mars

Simply “breathtaking” is this color image of the Uzboi Valley in Holden Crater, taken on May 31, 2018 by the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) aboard the European Trace Gas orbiter (TGO).The colors are impreSionant, it looks like Earth! ESA Source: http://esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Highlights/Postcards_from_Mars This post has been automatically translated. See the original post here.

New blue craters

This image taken on November 16, 2017, depicts two craters of recent formation (two to four years), however absent in photos taken in 2012.As in very many similar cases, the area surrounding the impact appears distinctly bluish, as if the immediate subsurface was much bluer than the surface layer; definitely curious! This post has been automatically translated. See the original post here.

Sandstorm on Mars has enveloped entire planet; Curiosity captures increasing haze

What I had already informally announced a couple of days ago, from the analysis of some photos of Mars taken by amateur astronomers with telescopes from Earth, has become official news.The sandstorm triggered on May 31 has enveloped the entire planet and after having completely obscured “at night” the site of Opportunity, has already drastically reduced the visibility even in the site of Curiosity where… Read More »Sandstorm on Mars has enveloped entire planet; Curiosity captures increasing haze

Mars taken by Tom Harradine on June 18

By now it is a fact, the sandstorm on Mars has enveloped the entire planet!For those who wanted to shoot Mars through the telescope taking advantage of the particularly favorable minimum distance that would characterize this year’s opposition, the disappointment will be considerable.Mars will appear as an orange globe in which at most you can distinguish the south polar cap and this situation could last… Read More »Mars taken by Tom Harradine on June 18

This is how Mars looked on June 12

As can be seen from the simulated comparison image much of the detail is almost totally concealed by a blanket of sand virtually everywhere except the central area of the south polar cap (top right). Photo by Tom Harradine This post has been automatically translated. See the original post here.

Opportunity from Sol 1 to Sol 5104

A beautiful video that shows in sequence all the images taken by the Hazcam front left.The sounds that you hear during the video were obtained using the accelerometer on board as a microphone, to give the idea of the roughness of the ground. This post has been automatically translated. See the original post here.

NASA teleconference on Mars sandstorm and Opportunity rover

Tonight at 19:30 Italian time NASA will hold a conference call to explain the recent development of a huge sandstorm that is affecting the site where Opportunity is operating but may soon extend to the entire planet!At the moment the storm is affecting an area of 41 million square kilometers, the equivalent of Europe and Africa combined.The latest images of Opportunity, dating back to about… Read More »NASA teleconference on Mars sandstorm and Opportunity rover

Sandstorm on Mars (Teleconference June 13, 2018).

This evening, at 19:30 Italian time, NASA held a conference call to explain the recent development of a huge sandstorm that is affecting the site where Opportunity is operating but may soon extend to the entire planet!Also, since midnight yesterday all communication with Opportunity has been lost… Participating in this conference call were: John Callas, Opportunity project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.… Read More »Sandstorm on Mars (Teleconference June 13, 2018).

Serious trouble for Opportunity!

Since midnight yesterday all communication with Opportunity has been lost. NASA team is not yet desperate to re-establish communications, but certainly the rover batteries have dropped in power to the point that it triggers an emergency procedure that turns off Opportunity (except the internal clock) and turns it back on at regular intervals to check the state of charge of the batteries.If the battery charge… Read More »Serious trouble for Opportunity!